Who lives without family?

[charmonman]

I get by with a little help from my friends. I really don’t care about Christmas though I did have a couple of video calls my brother and his wife over the period. I am also in my sixties and never wanted to be tied down by a wife and kids. Maybe that’s why I was able to retire early and enjoy life. I almost never feel lonely, but don’t look down on those who do. Everyone is different.

[Keller54]

17 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

ManUp dude 

 

I actually lol 😂 reading “ ManUp dude” 

Brilliant! 😂😂😂

[georgegeorgia]

3 hours ago, cjinchiangrai said:

Why is it any of your business?

Certainly beats your mundane posts on...wait for it....sewing up hems on trousers where you go into detail.Lol 

 

You boring old fart , imagine meeting you in a bar for a drink and listening to you waffle on about sewing on buttons ,even beats Bobs posts ! 

 

[simon43]

I spent my Christmas without family.  My UK ex-wife and my 3 kids disowned me 20+ years ago when my lung illness forced me to move to warmer climes.

 

But I didn't spend Christmas alone.  I was in Shan State (Myanmar), donating gifts to orphans.

 

 

GG, if you want to burst into tears again, look at this short video that I made at one of the orphanages on Xmas Day. The boy's song is so apt for that war-torn country.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhbRhVJm8_k

[georgegeorgia]

34 minutes ago, simon43 said:

I spent my Christmas without family.  My UK ex-wife and my 3 kids disowned me 20+ years ago when my lung illness forced me to move to warmer climes.

 

But I didn't spend Christmas alone.  I was in Shan State (Myanmar), donating gifts to orphans.

 

 

GG, if you want to burst into tears again, look at this short video that I made at one of the orphanages on Xmas Day. The boy's song is so apt for that war-torn country.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhbRhVJm8_k

You Simon are a legend 

But I'm not sure if you watched Aussie YouTuber Spanians vid on Myanmar?

[Gottfrid]

10 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Its the next evolution from 'high horse' !!!! 

Ok, Thanks! Now it´s totally understandable 😉 

[Card]

21 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I have almost no family and I don't miss a family.

I have a sister in another country. We have no problems with each other, but we live totally different lives. A message or two every couple of months is all the contact we have.

 

And about Christmas, etc. I avoid any special lunch or dinner or whatever events on those days. It's a day like any other day. If someone wants to celebrate it in company of people, I am sure he can go to church somewhere.

Personally, I am just fine without Christmas and family. 

 

Absolutely the same as me!

[rwill]

Does he have a spare 175,000 dollars?

 

Robot girlfriend

[atpeace]

5 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

rarely.

Same here but do like them all.  I have the same habits with friends also.  

[Freddy42OZ]

I don't understand how people can not love their family, let alone not like them.

My sister is easily my best friend.   My parents were wonderful, but have sadly passed away. 

All my relatives are great, we've never not got on with each other.

[simon43]

2 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

You Simon are a legend 

But I'm not sure if you watched Aussie YouTuber Spanians vid on Myanmar?

 

Yes, I've watched that video, and many others from Vloggers.  Almost without exception they are exaggerating the dangers (of walking down a street in Yangon). I understand that they do this to get more subs and clicks of course.

[cjinchiangrai]

3 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Certainly beats your mundane posts on...wait for it....sewing up hems on trousers where you go into detail.Lol 

 

You boring old fart , imagine meeting you in a bar for a drink and listening to you waffle on about sewing on buttons ,even beats Bobs posts ! 

 

No idea what you are on about, but that is par for the course.

[Cat Boy]

On 1/14/2025 at 10:05 AM, georgegeorgia said:

I was just watching a Pattaya YouTuber , a 60 something guy who had just retired to Pattaya in December after 35 years working in the government service in the UK 

 

He just made me cry as he said he spent Xmas day alone !

He has no family or should I say they have lost contact 

I actually laid on my lounge on my day off today crying watching the poor bugger saying his Xmas day in Pattaya was very lonely 

 

Never married from the UK ,lost contact with his brothers sisters etc over the years .

 

I wonder if Thailand is the RIGHT place for him to meet a genuine partner after his sadness so I wrote a post for him to go to the Philippines immediately 

 

He said all though he retired to Pattaya he is looking for a new place as he is has no one 

 

Anyway I don't want to open up a Pandora's Box but who here has no family and do you cope ok ?

 

I'm in my early 60s. Mother and father died around 20 years ago. As executor of my father's estate, i sold the house, everything in it and at the same time all of my own personal affects that I had from a flat I earlier had in California. I arrived in '05 with a couple of suitcases. Blissfully unencumbered.

I've never understood that overt attachment to the importnace of holidays, as you've phrased it "X-mas day alone", as each and every day is special, whether living alone or with others.

I more or less adopted a fatherless family in Southern Bangladesh years ago, and go there frequently. I supported the younger boy through college and university, BBA and MBA, the older brother, I've just bought a 3-bedroom flat for he, his wife and their 2 young boys.

With that said, I've just returned from a 10-day New Years holiday with the group, 7 of us total, which was good, but sometimes a challenge for me, basically an introvert. Happy to be back home in Thailand and my solitude.

Yes, connectivity keeps our minds active and engaged in life and the living, But, close relationships living together 24/7 aren't for everyone and carry their own downsides. Connectivity is more, its the guy at the local coffee shop where you get your morning cuppa, you don't know his name, he doesn't know yours, but its a routine, ... along with the many other more casual relationships we encounter in our daily lives. That's enough.

In dues course, I'll die here in Thailand alone, and that's totally fine by me, and as is my wish.

[NorthernRyland]

9 minutes ago, Cat Boy said:

I've never understood that overt attachment to the importnace of holidays, as you've phrased it "X-mas day alone", as each and every day is special, whether living alone or with others.

because they're times people are with their families (Christmas especially) so it's easy to feel left out if you dwell on it.  Families are often fragmented these days and it's nice to have at least a few days set aside if nothing else.

[Centigrade32]

6 hours ago, simon43 said:

I spent my Christmas without family.  My UK ex-wife and my 3 kids disowned me 20+ years ago when my lung illness forced me to move to warmer climes.

 

But I didn't spend Christmas alone.  I was in Shan State (Myanmar), donating gifts to orphans.

 

 

GG, if you want to burst into tears again, look at this short video that I made at one of the orphanages on Xmas Day. The boy's song is so apt for that war-torn country.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhbRhVJm8_k

 

You need an Smartphone with Optical Image Stabilisation. Even a second hand iPhone will have it.

I bought a small one, still fully functional, for the equivalent of around 1200 baht.

[simon43]

55 minutes ago, Centigrade32 said:

 

You need an Smartphone with Optical Image Stabilisation. Even a second hand iPhone will have it.

I bought a small one, still fully functional, for the equivalent of around 1200 baht.

Why?  That photo has been cropped and enlarged - the original photo looks fine.  Both my mobile phones have OIS....

[scorecard]

5 hours ago, Freddy42OZ said:

I don't understand how people can not love their family, let alone not like them.

My sister is easily my best friend.   My parents were wonderful, but have sadly passed away. 

All my relatives are great, we've never not got on with each other.

Nice for you but each to his own / personal choice. I never had pleasant / enjoyable times with any of my 5 cousins, all male. They all went to very expensive schools and reminded me often. All were arrogant and lacking in basic common sense. They had never been taught right and wrong.. acceptable behavior and not acceptable behavior (by their dads or mums).

 

They were just too old for compulsory national service. Soon after I finally returned from Vn there was a whole family gathering for the uni graduation of a cousin.

 

I went to the party, I got invited into the bedroom of one of my cousins. As soon as I walked  through the door he fired a rifle and hit a target on the wall quite close to me. everybody laughed. The cousin who fired the rifle called his dad into the room and told his dad about firing the rifle / hit a target very close to me.

 

His dad (my uncle) grabbed my hair and arm and said "not so brave now soldier boy". I was shocked and upset, I quickly found my dad, explained what had happened and dad immediately took me home with no discussion with his brother (my uncle) or the uni boy. Dad spent the rest of the day chatting about life with me, making sure he was listening to my comments.

 

The next day uncle called my dad and accused him of being rude at his son's graduation. And insisted that I explain why I had told my dad. I shared with dad that rifle fire and a round landing so close to me really and the loud rifle fire sound  shook me up. (Later I was diagnosed with severe PTSD).

 

Dad told his bother about this. His brother responded with "what total bull<deleted>" and laughed at dad every time he saw dad for years.

 

Dad and I and mum deliberately ignored them for the rest of our lives. 

 

A question: why would/should we try to make any effort to gain pleasant relationship with them?

 

25 years later I got a call from my cousin and he apologized for the rifle shot in the bedroom. I said 'thanks' and hung up. 

 

 

[Centigrade32]

59 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Why?  That photo has been cropped and enlarged - the original photo looks fine.  Both my mobile phones have OIS....

 

With reference to the YouTube videos to which you linked. Boy playing guitar and singing video is very shaky, as is your touring video. OIS obviously not working for video in those cases.

[simon43]

2 hours ago, Centigrade32 said:

 

With reference to the YouTube videos to which you linked. Boy playing guitar and singing video is very shaky, as is your touring video. OIS obviously not working for video in those cases.

No problem - the shaking adds to the realism (as that car bounced over the mountain road!)

[save the frogs]

9 hours ago, Freddy42OZ said:

My sister is easily my best friend. 

 

I used to be very close to my sister.

But she married a high-powered multi-millonaire and he corrupted her soul.

So now she has a low opinion of me and belittles me because I'm just a regular joe with a regular job.

So I decided to cut my losses. Part of her is still a lovely woman who I love, but she's way too caught up in her ego being filthy rich. I can't relate to her much anymore. And I don't want to spend much time with people who have a low opinion of me. 

 

You have brothers and there's no sibling rivalry? I am not sure if that's the exception rather than the norm. 

 

But there is an additional complication. I'm the "black sheep" of the family. I'm different, so that adds to the hostility. 

 

[Centigrade32]

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

No problem - the shaking adds to the realism (as that car bounced over the mountain road!)

 

I agree for when it comes to the travelling, but not for the performance. 

[JimHuaHin]

I have no family - all known relatives have passed.

 

I continue to survive and cope.

[KhunLA]

49 minutes ago, JimHuaHin said:

I have no family - all known relatives have passed.

 

I continue to survive and cope.

Have family (3  brothers), but haven't seen them in over 20 yrs.  Talk to one occasionally on FB msgr.   1 actually coming to visit next month, for 2 days.

 

Actually didn't see them much when I lived in USA, maybe a dinner once a year.  We all live separate lives, and I wasn't always living in the same state.

 

Wife has 8 siblings, but none live near us, and we rarely see them.  Maybe seen each once or twice in the past 8 years.  One she saw last year, and first time in 19 years, since lives in USA.

[BritManToo]

I always viewed Xmas in the UK as a festival of greed.

In Thailand it's just another day, and my kid still goes to school if it's a weekday.

[steven100]

1 hour ago, JimHuaHin said:

I have no family - all known relatives have passed.

 

I continue to survive and cope.

 

same me ....  all my family and relatives are dead .......   but I didn't go see them years ago before they died. 

I think about my dead Aunties and Uncle's everyday .    I didn't see them for 30-50yrs and I think about the old days.

 

  It's just me left alone. 

 

my friend is my Chang beer each day    

[steven100]

I've had 6 bottles and I'm thinking about my dead Uncle ....  he was a good uncle and taught me alot  

[save the frogs]

2 minutes ago, steven100 said:

I've had 6 bottles and I'm thinking about my dead Uncle ....  he was a good uncle and taught me alot  

his liver fell out, your uncle?

 

[steven100]

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

his liver fell out, your uncle?

 

no ...  he was 83 ... he just drank sherry .... but only a few glasses every few days on the farm.   He was a hard worker,  up at 4-5am and out at 6.00am everyday... back at 6-7pm every day.  

[steven100]

10 minutes ago, steven100 said:

no ...  he was 83 ... he just drank sherry .... but only a few glasses every few days on the farm.   He was a hard worker,  up at 4-5am and out at 6.00am everyday... back at 6-7pm every day.  

I worked with along side him for a few years,  crutching lambs,  drenching cattle & sheep, fencing, loading soya bean hay in the winter for stock feed ,  and many other general farm work,  mustering and whatever ... I was young and fit as a mallee bull at 17yrs old.    i miss those days

 

it makes me sad when I think about that ....   I get teary eyed everytime.

[steven100]

I didn't think it was funny ( emoji )    save the frog  ..........  I was serious  ..